Great character development in this book as always ! Such a quick and easy read. Robyn never ceases to write the best books!

A fantastic story about friendship and strong women! I've been a fan of Robyn Carr books and this is a great story.

Four friends are the main focus in this story - all in different seasons of their lives, they all come together to support each other and it's just an enjoyable book. Marni is the lead character - she's the mother of one character and soon to be grandmother, also re-entering the dating world after a divorce. She's a tv chef and her co-workers and confidantes are the remaining two characters. There could be some triggers with stalking and abusive men, but it's handled in a positive way.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a temporary, digital ARC in return for my review.

Marni is a syndicated cook show host. She has done well for herself professionally and she loves her work. She had a quick but unhappy marriage when she was young. She had a second marriage that ended in heartbreak, anger, and financial settlements. The first marriage produced her daughter, Bella, who is now pregnant. Bella has been through IVF and although she is a successful lawyer, she is having self doubts and worries about her relationship with her husband.

Marni also has a long time assistant, who is now widowed, after caring for her ill husband and she's quiet, shy, and wants to steer clear of any relationships. There is also a young intern, who is very interested in pursuing a career in broadcasting, although she's working while going to grad school.

All four of the women get along beautifully. Their relationships with men are not exactly welcome and they support each other's lives, hopes, and dreams. They step up to become real friends.

This is a story of women supporting each other, sharing life experiences, and helping each other grow into their ever-changing lives. I wish I'd had a Marni in my life. She is a wonderful, loving role model, but with fears and secrets of her own. A great read.

“The Friendship Club” by Robyn Carr weaves a compelling narrative of four women navigating the complexities of life and love. The author masterfully brings together characters from different generations, each facing relatable challenges such as toxic relationships, failed marriages, loss of spouse and the trials of pregnancy.

Personally, I resonated with the engaging backstories of these women, finding their journeys relatable. Carr delicately handles sensitive topics with respect, addressing issues like loss, loneliness, and the realities of modern love. This being my first Robyn Carr book, I was captivated by the well-crafted characters and seamless flow of the narrative.

Marni’s character stood out, her independence and resilience drawing me in. As someone who understands the strength gained from overcoming challenges, I appreciated the depth of her development. The book’s underlying message of supporting women in need struck a chord, and I admired how each friend found their unique ways to contribute.

The mature romances, built on friendship, added a delightful layer to the story. Carr’s portrayal of relationships is both realistic and heartwarming. In essence, “The Friendship Club” is a captivating exploration of friendship, love, and the strength found in supporting one another. I’ll undoubtedly be recommending this book to fellow readers, and I look forward to exploring more of Robyn Carr’s work in the future.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for the DRC of this book. The thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

Robyn Carr books never disappoint. A quick read on a Midwest blizzard day. I loved the female friendship, the character development and the family focus. Thank you to MIRA for this advance copy via NetGalley.

I loved the bond shared by the women in The Friendship Club. It’s a beautiful thing when we love and support each other. Genuine friendship, love, some on the edge of your seat scenes, good food, and overcoming those broken places-it’s got it all.

A special thank you to Harlequin & NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC & review the book.

This is a great story that focuses on the importance of friendship, especially for women, and community. There is a storyline about domestic abuse that probably needs a disclaimer (which may be there and I didn't notice). Marni is the driving character of the story. Her daughter Bella, her colleague and friend Ellen, and her intern Sophia make up the friendship club. Through this club they find out more about themselves then they realize once they start opening up to each other. Marni is enjoying being single until she's unexpectedly attracted to Sam. Bella is pregnant and having some trouble with her husband. Ellen is enjoying the single life but finds herself drawn to her neighbor. Sophia is in a dangerous relationship. Highly recommend reading this book to see the avenues each woman takes.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for advanced copy, and I give my review freely

Rounded up from 3.5 stars.
This was a really lovely book to read. I loved each of the female characters that were part of the "club" and their stories. I did feel as though Marni was the guiding character in these stories and that because of this, she was the most well developed. Ellen, Bella, and Sophia all felt a little less known to me just because of them being more of side characters than guiding stories.

Despite that, reading each of their stories gave me something different and all felt well explored. They all experienced different problems to work through, but the moral of the story is they were able to do it all together.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Friendship Club by Robyn Carr is a heartfelt and touching book focusing on friendships, family relations, domestic violence, mental health, and second chances. Though it might not sound uplifting, I could not stop reading this book, wanting to know more about each character. Ms Carr is a master at writing words to create the imagery and emotions her characters are dealing with.

Centering around four women from varied age groups, they discover that it is the power of friendship that helps them, and us, get through life's challenges. Marni, a fifty something celebrity chef, may finally be ready to renter the dating world after making some bad man choices. Bella, Marni’s daughter, is a smart and ambitious woman, about to have her own baby. Ellen, Marni’s coworker, feels past her prime but may also be ready for love again. Sophia, their young intern, finds herself in a bad relationship and after a scary experience and needs recovery time.

All four of these women are strong, independent, and stand on their own, though some discover that sometimes, it’s nice to have a man around. Forging new relationships, each member takes steps toward sorting out their lives. Marni finds refuge in her kitchen, Ellen in Mark's neighborly calls, Bella bringing her son into this world, and Sophia having the courage to leave in order to start over again.

Bonding together, the support these women offered each other a lifeline that gives them courage and strength to move forward. While it may seem like they’re an unlikely bunch, they truly brought out the best in each other. Although this book brings out all kind of emotions, it will leave you feeling hopeful at the end. If you like books about strong female friendships this was really wonderful.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

There just something cozy and comfortable about a Robyn Carr book. I've enjoyed so many of her novels and this was no exception. The book centers around tv celebrity chef Marni McGuire, her pregnant daughter Bella, her introverted colleague Ellen, and a younger show intern Sophia as they navigate the ups and downs of marriage, relationships, dating, and life in general. They are there to support and encourage each other and lift the others up. This is a story of true friendship between women of different ages and backgrounds. While not my favorite of her stories, I still really enjoyed this book.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Friendship Club is a wonderful story of Marni and the challenges she's faced, and overcome, along with the sisterhood of friends she's built, including her now-adult daughter and college-aged intern who works for her cooking show. While the older women are trying to convince the younger women of their happiness, the younger women are struggling to find their own happiness and follow the examples set by their elders. They all eventually realize they can learn from and alongside each other, and realize both happiness and new life lessons they never expected. A highly recommended read!

I am a huge fan of author Robyn Carr, have been reading her romances and women's fiction for years, and I've read everything of hers I've been able to get my hands on.

I loved this latest offering from Carr and I highly recommend it.

Marni McGuire hosts a popular cooking show on a cable network and is helped by a crew of women who also happen to be her friends. Also part of this circle of friends is her pregnant daughter.

The story highlights love in our older years plus the more serious subject of domestic abuse, so be forewarned if that can be a trigger.

I received this Digital Review Copy from MIRA Editors through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review. This is that review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
Wow! This was a really great book!! This storyline was a little off from my normal reading picks but it sounded good so I thought I’d give it a try - I’m so glad I did! The different stories of the women and their backgrounds all went together amazingly and brought it all together. Everyone had a different background but they all cared so much about each other and same goals - love and friendship. It was a great story, wasn’t slow but allowed enough to keep the interest as it went. It was a great book to deter from my normal reading choices.

What a wonderful story. It revolved around Marni, who was a TV chef. She loved to cook and it just happened. She started sampling foods at grocery stores with her small daughter (Bella) on her back and she always sold tons of whatever product she was sampling. Then she got a small segment and it grew to her own show.
Her first husband was killed quite early in their marriage. Then she met Jeff who had an affair and wasn't smart about his money from the divorce settlement. Marni worked with Sophia, who was an intern for the show, and Ellen, who was a fabulous chef but didn't want to be on air. Marni and Ellen had been single for awhile and neither one really wanted a love affair, but sometimes love just happens slowly but surely. I felt bad that Bella was going through horrible hormone issues and was having wild thoughts of her husband cheating, but In reality, he just wanted something to eat other than a salad. Bella thought she was too fat, so at a lot of salads. He thought she was beautiful and pregnant but she had trouble hearing that. Her mom talked her down and told her to get some counseling. Sophia's story was hard, as I worried that something bad would happen to her. A night out went wrong and a young man was fixated on her. When she finally told the ladies what was happening, they got her help and it turned things around for her. The love stories for Ellen and Marni were both sweet and well deserved. The whole story was just perfect.

I got this book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

ʙ ᴏ ᴏ ᴋ • ʀ ᴇ ᴠ ɪ ᴇ ᴡ

📖 The Friendship Club
✍🏻 @robyncarrwriter
⭐️ 5
🌶️ 1
🫶🏻 ARC #10 of 2024
📚10/100

This book was the easiest 5 ⭐️s I’ve given in 2024 yet.

🤝🏼 best friends / friendship
💔 loss, divorce, abuse and stalking
🫶🏻 second chances
🥹 family over everything
🥗 FMC is a chef/tv star
🐶 golden retriever MMC
💣 drama
🌶️ a very little bit of spice

There were multiple FMC and MMC to follow, but for the first time in a while..they were easy to differentiate and follow.

I absolutely LOVED Marni, Ellen, Sophia and Bella’s stories! They each had their different tropes, struggles, story lines and dramas. And it was 🤌🏻 @robyncarrwriter was able to make you feel every emotion with every character and root, cheer, cry, fear and feel for them all individually!

This is book #10 so far in 2024 and my fourth 5 ⭐️ rating!!

I absolutely LOVED this book and will absolutely be looking into the Sullivans Crossing series now!

#booksta #bookish #booksbooksbooks #booklover #bookworm #booknerd #arc #netgalley #arcreader #loved #robyncarr #thebestfriendsclub



NOTE. I have posted my review on GoodReads, Story Graph. & will post in my instagram on the pub date

There is much that can be said about the friendships and bonds of a small group of women as they move through their lives together. Robyn Carr has let us visit 4 unique women of various ages and see how they manage to deal with the unexpected life events that have the ability to disrupt their lives. Some of these events are wonderful and others could have disastrous effects! Ms. Carr sorts it all out and lets us enjoy yet another of her books!

Publication date: January 23, 2024

The Friendship Club is a standalone book by author Robyn Carr (Best known for the Virgin River series). This is a women’s fiction with a touch of romance.

Marni McGuire is a celebrity chef, once widowed and once divorced living happily on her own with her circle of friends surrounding her. Marni’s circle consists of her sister Nettie, her friend Ellen (and producer of her show), her daughter Bella and Sophie her the young intern at her show.

Each of these women are at the peak of change in their lives and depend on each other for advice, guidance and friendship. When one of their own is caught up in an abusive relationship they come together to help guide and protect her.

While keeping busy filming her show and maintaining her friendships Marni is certain love and relationships aren’t in her future. A connection with an unexpected suitor makes her realize that maybe it’s not too late.

This is a good story with strong female characters and incredible friendships. There is a sprinkle of romance for a few of the characters as well. I did find some parts a bit repetitive, multiple explanations of the same past memories said different ways. This is a 3 star for me, decent but not a ton of character depth. This is a quick easy light read!

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#NetGalley #robyncarr #thefriendshipclub

I loved this story by one of my favorite authors. This was about Marnie and 3 others, her best friend Ellen, her pregnant daughter Bella and Sophie who is an intern on Marnie's cooking show. They get together and talk with good food and wine about life. Each one has their own story and all are very interesting. A MUST READ. A GREAT READ.

The Friendship Club by Robyn Carr centers around Marni McGure, a self-made host of a popular television cooking show. Marnie's account and those of her support staff/friends Ellen and Sophia and Marnie's pregnant daughter Bella offer romance, friendship and drama (stalking, divorce, abuse). These are women who have battled past/through pregnancy, IVF, disabled spouse, etc. to become stronger and closer.

I felt there was a loose thread or two. There were enough comments about safety -- to stay inside behind locked doors in a secure house that lead me to believe more was coming....(especially when people kept walking through the door...not all of whom would have had access). I also thought there would have been more development regarding Jason and Bella and their drama.

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing - MIRA, Robyn Carr and NetGalley for this ARC.

I am a huge fan of Robyn Carr’s books, but I don’t think I can provide a public review of this book. I am used to reading ARCs, but this truly seemed like a first draft. There were so many run-on sentences and incomplete thoughts that it was almost unreadable. If this is the way the book will be published it is only a 2-star read for me. If a later draft or audio version becomes available, I would love to give it a second try.